Rare tornado touches down in France over the weekend

Folks in Europe don't see these as much as we do here in the states. A rare EF-1 tornado touched down outside the city of Toulouse, France. Toulouse is located in southern France. The tornado touched down around 7:10 packing winds of 73-112mph. The good news is the damage was minor. The tornado uprooted trees, tossed some cars, and collapsed some walls. The parent thunderstorm also produced baseball sized hail.

This is the first tornado to hit France so far in 2012. Last year in 2011 there were only a total of 3. Tornadoes are quite rare in France. Actually, they are quite rare across Europe. So far this year there have only been 15 tornadoes with most occurring in Turkey. In contrast, the United States has already seen well over 300 twisters.

The United States has the best ingredients available in the world to produce tornadoes. That's why we see the most out of anywhere else in the world. The problem with Europe is the Baltic and North Seas. Both moderate cold air coming down from the north. Meanwhile, here in the United States cold air flows south without interruption and clashes with warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. You can also throw in the mix the dry air them comes from the southwest U.S. When the three come together it can be perfect for tornadoes. Check out the video of the Toulouse tornado below. Not something these people see everyday. You can even see the hail falling too. Pretty cool looking, and I'm also a big fan of the song in the background. Sacre bleu!

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